A review by maiakobabe
Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence by Joel Christian Gill

4.0

This is a difficult book to read, because it's painful to picture this kind of violence, sexual abuse, and bullying happening to any child. And it's hard to read because I am friends with the author, and I hate that these things happened to him when he was young. But I went into this memoir already knowing the happy ending: that Joel grew up to build a loving family, to become an Associate Professor of Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and to write and illustrate multiple successful graphic novels and picture books. This book exists for other young people also surviving violence, and as a reminder to adults who work with children that kids who starts fights often lack options, resources, mentorship, safety-- what they need is support, not punishment.